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Monthly Archives: August 2007
Grey Stripe
Remember the little grey painting I showed a few weeks ago? It is now a grey and yellow painting and is one of three. I’m definitely going to hang them somewhere.
It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Last week was all about felting, I made another hat and spent many nights working hard at making a felted jacket, which ended up more as a felted jumper (sweater). I haven’t got photos of either, but I’m rather pleased with both … even if the jumper is a bit too short and a bit too wide.
Last weekend we went skiing with our friends Wendy, Kim, Lauren, Anthony and Nathan. I totally sucked. What a contrast to just a month ago. If we could find the camera downloading thingy then I could show you a little video that Riscy took of me skiing like crap (luckily he didn’t film the tantrum(s), me crying, me sitting halfway down a hill, me sliding down the hill on my bum or me throwing in the towel and chosing to carry my skis up a big hill rather than ski anymore).Â
Still, we are thinking of abandoning our plans to go to India this summer for possibly skiing in Japan where I might regain my mojo. Both options are appealing from a textile point of view, so I’m sort of leaning towards Japan.
This week I have been sick. A full blown cold. I’m a sneeze machine. Hopefully normal creativity will resume shortly.
Posted in Books
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Felt Mania
I’m right into felt this week 🙂 Last night I made this hat… which was an utter disaster (think scull cap) until I started playing with the creases.
Now don’t go thinking that I’m original or anything, I am lucky enough own a hat by May Hvistendahl of Norway (my hat is the first hat on row 4/last hat on row 3) obviously it did inspire me to try manipulating the shape.
The wool is a ochre yellow fading to black at the rim, overlayed with silk which also fades from Yellow to a dark khaki/green at the bottom. I’m playing hat model here and Riscy took the pics (thanks Riscy!!).
I’m getting more ambitious. Now I want to make a jacket 🙂 Might do it tonight!!
This week I found out that Fulvia Boriani Luciano has a blog. Fulvia creates wonderful art quilts but has also been branching out into wool with some felting, spinning and knitting.
LittlePaperBird is the blog of Sarah from Leeds. Paper, stitching books, lovely photos … it’s all good 🙂
My Art Grows Around Me is the blog of Marjojo (aka Marion Michell) of London. Marjojo is an artist who is currently working on project which involves crocheting tiny little hairy dresses. If you want to see more, check out her webpage it gave me a wider context for her current work.
Posted in Journal
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Felt
I’ve been meaning to learn how to make 3D felt for years, this inspiring tutorial on the blog Homework got me very enthusiastic and excited to try it out.
The red slippers are the first ones I did. I made the leg bit a little too narrow (ie I couldn’t get my foot in), so they ended up with the U shape at the front. Which I now quite like! They are very snug and soft. I think they need a little bit more felting as the inner white fibres are migrating out into the red and pilling a little.
This is the other pair I have made. Thse have a wrinkly look because I added silk fibre on top. As the wool felts, the silk scrunches up to give an interesting texture. These ones are more generously sized and I can get my foot in and out no worries. I never realised my feet were so pointy until I felted theses slippers!
I have recently replenished my supplies of coloured fine merino wool tops. I order mine from Nancy at Treetops Colours in Western Australia. I have been ordering from Nancy for years and she has always given great service. This time I ordered the Colour Nuances Sample Pack which is 400g chocked full of great colours, just right for little felting and spinning projects. This is in preparation for the felting day I’ve been planning with some friends.
I’ve been home sick from work today. I’m a bit fuzzy in the head and achy… I hoping like mad that I have not got the lurgy. Perhaps I’ve come down with a raging case of hypochondria LOL.
I’m hiding these photos right down the bottom because the photography is very ordinary… but I wanted to record a finished quilt:
This is the Lines quilt. I can see lots of possibilities with printing and I want to do heaps more 🙂 Riscy doesn’t like it. Too much white at the top, he reckons.
I hung it in our bedroom. This is an insitu shot with my attempt at a little bit of interior decorating styling inspired by some of the home dec blogs I’ve been browsing lately (ahem!)
Posted in Journal
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Lines
I’ve been printing 🙂 I thought I’d show you my low tech set up. I use an old piece of glass from a cheap picture frame to mix the acrylic paint and roller it onto my little rubber roller which I then roll onto the print plate… in this case it is a stiff bit of cardboard (cut from a lever arch folder) and I have used rubber bands to get the lines pattern for printing.
Now, I reckon I’m playing a bit dangerously with that flimsy piece of glass, one day it will shatter spectacularly while I’m carrying it to the sink or while I’m washing it. I need to get a piece of reinforced glass with nice ground edges made up. Actually, I’ll call a glazier this week.
This is the ‘print plate’ after a fair bit of use
It is now totally destroyed as I wiped it down at the end of the session with hopes of recycling the cardboard for another session.
This is the fabric I printed, I’m sandwiching it up for quilting. It is is such a relief and joy, after a year of concentration on applique, I just love the quickness of printing 🙂 Sorry for the totally crap photo I’ll post a better one when I’m finished quilting the piece.
I’m feeling a little stressed tonight as I have been ringing around trying to get some accomodation at Mt Hotham for next weekend. Of course everywhere is booked out so we are onto plan B. Off mountain accomodation at Omeo.
Posted in Art
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Little Grey Paintings
My workroom is cleaned and I have done three little paintings (15x15cm). I’m a sucker for cute little things and these tiny stretched canvases jumped right into my hands when I dropped by a local art supply shop (when I say local…I mean the next town over, but it sure beats mail ordering these things!).
The other two are pretty much the same as the one above. I’ve been trying to photograph them together all week, but the light hasn’t been good enough or my photos have been tragically wonky and definitely NOT blog worthy.
I also mucked around printing paint onto some fabric using a piece of found plastic as a stamp. I’m definitely going to explore this direction more as I love the immediate results and the element of play (which has been sorely missing in my recent textile work, I reckon.)
The swirly quilting wasn’t a good idea, the swirls just didn’t work in the little nooks and crannys and I think it distracts from the printed shapes and the composition… which I really like. But, these little quilts are all about experimentation, so failure is allowed (sometimes LOL).
I have come across two more wonderful and inspiring blogs this week:
Desire to Inspire: Do you love browsing interior decoration magazines? I do too 🙂 This blog is a real treasure featuring all sorts of interior design photography, and has kept me drooling all week long.
Caroline Paintings Journal: The blog of Caroline Havers. Her large sparrow paintings grabbed my attention as sparrows are one of my most favourite birds, they are so hoppy and so friendly and bold. I like that Carolines paintings combine these bird images with a elements which scream ‘urban’ to me. Because sparrows are the most urban of birds.
Posted in Books
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Megan’s Show
Yay!! In September my sister Meg is having a show of her paintings at Top Gallery at the Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart, Tasmania.
Posted in Paper
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Inspiration Wire
I’ve been inspired by Mav of Port2port to put up some inspiration wires in my workroom. I’ve put up a combination of my textile stuff, pictures ripped from art magazines, and there is even a little painting by my sister Meg up there (on the top second from the left). I’ve changed a few things since this photo was taken. I don’t know how often I’ll change things around. But I like the idea of clearing it off completely every couple of months and starting again.
This may replace a scrapbook I started a while ago. I never look in there, so it doesn’t really serve as inspiration. Doh! This is a page out of it… I wont show some of the really good ones as I can’t credit the work I’ve stuck in there, though I’ll probably scan a few in, print them out and use them on my wire at some stage.
I’m meant to be cleaning my work room today but I’ve been distracted by making a bag and dreaming about some printing I want to do… once I’ve cleaned up my workroom. A vicious cycle. LOL
I’m getting back into blog reading and internet surfing so I thought I’d start up my little link feature again:
Red Red Day is the blog of Mien. Printmaking, sculptures, painting, drawing. Lots of directions going on here and all of it is interesting 🙂 I love all those different mediums, she seems to have a similar way of working to me, especially the ‘wanting to do everything’ part.
November Moon is the blog of Cathy Cullis. Textiles, printing and soft sculpture. I’m expecially enjoying her stitched collages.
Posted in Paper
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More Little White Quilts
Well. That was quicker than I thought it would be. These quilts were based on some drawings I did last week in a little moleskine book. Suprisingly, I really enjoy drawing over the grid and combining the grid into the drawings.
These little white quilts have been very fun to do, fast… they suit the limited time I have for creativity at the moment (things will slow down soon… wont they?), my desire to develop my quilting skills and break out of the little applique box I had put myself into and to focus more on ‘line’.
Posted in Knitting
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Highs and Lows
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The skiing at Hotham was wonderful. I didn’t want to leave. By the end I was going very nicely, parallel skiing down the easier blue runs and dealing with mogols without too much fuss. 🙂
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Riscy took the photo above from the top of the Summit Run at Hotham looking towards Mount Feathertop.
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It was a 6 hour bus ride for me to get to Hotham on Friday night, I was working in Melbourne late last week, so couldn’t drive up with everyone else on Friday morning. I got in at quarter to midnight, just in time to hire my skis and boots before the hire shop closed so I would be ready to burst onto the slopes as early as possible on Saturday morning. We were very lucky to have our friend Wendy skiing with us, she is an excellent coach and had us really flying by the end of the weekend. I’m keen to go back as soon as possible.
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There were 14 of us staying at the apartment in the village, it was so much fun and lots of great food too! To top the weekend off, two of the girls saw my felted scarves and are really keen to learn how to felt, so I’m gonna have them over for a feltmaking party one weekend soon!!Â
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I’ve got some rare time in my workroom tonight, so I’m hoping to have some more white quilts so show in the next day or so.Â
Posted in Felt
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